Evaluation Of Chinese Version Of Chinese Characteristics From Perspective Of Translator Behavior Criticism

In the history cultural exchanges between China and the West,there is a group of people with a unique identity— the missionaries.With a distinctive vision,on the basis of their experience in China,these old China hands introduce the mysterious oriental country to their western fellows.Among these missionaries,the American missionary,Arther H.Smith,is a representative one and his works,Chinese Characteristics,goes popular among western readers since published,which attracts the attention of Chinese scholars and translators.Chinese Characteristics,a book written by a foreigner on the theme of the national characters of the Chinese,has been retranslated over 30 times in Chinese mainland,a phenomenon known as “textless back translation”,which requires a domesticating strategy employed to seek the truth of the ST in linguistic dimension,stylistic dimension and cultural dimension.Although there are over 30 Chinese versions of Chinese Characteristics,there are only several papers studying these Chinese versions.Meanwhile,previous studies focus on textual studies,with the translator,the central link in translating,neglected.Translator behavior criticism,a translation theory proposed by a Chinese scholar,is a theory of both textual studies and behavioral studies,which can ensure a morecomprehensive and objective research.From the perspective of translator behavior criticism,the author gives a descriptive and critical study of Liu’s version of Chinese Characteristics.This research covers the intra-translation dimension(textual studies)and the extra-translation dimension(behavioral studies),a more comprehensive and objective study.The evaluation in this research is based on “truth-seeking-utility-attaining” evaluative model of continuum,with findings as follows:(1)in the intra-translation dimension,the “truth-seeking” behavior reflects the instinct and endeavor of The-translator as a linguistic being.The “truth-seeking” behavior includes the translation strategy(macro level)and methods(micro level)adopted by The-translator in translating.At the macro level,The-translator employs domestication as an overall strategy and several sub-strategies to reproduce the truth of the ST in the cultural dimension,the communication dimension,and the stylistic dimension.At the micro level,flexible translation methods,such as division,addition and omission,and borrowing,etc.,are applied by the The-translator to seek the truth of the delivery;(2)in the extra-translation dimension,as a social being: The-translator bears in mind the “utility-attaining” of socialization.First of all,with a can-do motive,The-translator expects to reshape the national characters of his fellows through his translation.Second,in a social context of a craze for studying the national characters,The-translator selects a book in accordance with the mainstream to win the reception of the market so as to fit into the society.Third,The-translator,as the scholarly translator,gives a thick translation to win the preference of the target readers.What’s more,the author evaluates the rationality of the behavior of The-translatoron the basis of textual study and behavioralstudy,which are linked in this research.The author argues that: in theintra-translation dimension,the approach of “truth-seeking” oriented while “utility-attaining” considered is employed,while in the extra-translation dimension,the approach of “utility-attaining” centered while “truth-seeking” concerned is adopted.During translating,The-translator has stricken a balance between “truth-seeking” and “utility-attaining”,which means a high degree of rationality in behavior.